Hyderabad: MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday asked the Centre why it was placing an order for bulletproof vests for the Indian army with China when the neighbouring country was not cooperating with India.

Mr Owaisi argued that the Centre had not been able to get Masood Azhar, chief of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, listed as a global terrorist at the United Nations Security Council because of the Chinese veto. “This is the failure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘jhula diplomacy’,” he said, referring to a picture of Mr Modi sitting on a swing with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Ahmedabad during his visit to India.

With reference to Masood Azhar, Mr Owaisi said, “I do not even like to take his name. But what has happened to the government’s self-respect and nationalism now? What about our security as a nation? These questions must be answered.”

“Why was the order for the bullet-proof jackets placed only with China? Can’t we procure them from any other country?” he asked. He was referring to the firm with which India signed an order worth Rs 630 crore for the supply of bulletproof vests, changing its materials supplier to China after the agreement was signed.

This is for the fourth time in the past 10 years that China has blocked the proposal to enlist Masood Azhar as a global terrorist in the UNSC.